Rakta Pradoshaja Rogas – When Blood Is Vitiated By Doshas
Article by Dr Raghuram Y.S. MD (Ay) & Dr Manasa, B.A.M.S
Blood tissue is the second in the sequence of tissue formation. Its vitiation often leads to disorders related to skin and underlying tissues. Blood (Rakta) is directly related with Pitta Dosha.
When the food nutrients are acted upon by normal Rasa dhatwagni or tissue fire of rasa, a part of it is forms rasa tissue, another part forms the blood tissue while kapha is formed as tissue excreta. Along with this the sub-tissues of rasa i.e. breast milk and menstrual blood is formed.
Related Reading – Rasa Dhatu
If blood tissue is properly formed in terms of its quality and quantity, it helps in the formation of good quality and quantity of its next tissue i.e. muscle tissue. It circulates in healthy way all through the body providing nutrition and oxygen to all the cells, hence sustaining and supporting all life functions. Circulation of blood in proper way is said to be an indicator of existence of life in the body.
Read related: Understanding Blood Functions, Vitiation And Treatment As Per Ayurveda
Rakta Pradoshaja Roga
Rakta Pradoshaja Rogas – Diseases caused by contaminated Blood tissue
When blood tissue is contaminated by doshas or by ama, it causes many diseases. These diseases are called Rakta Pradoshaj Vikaras.
Blood vitiated disorders are –
Kushta – skin diseases, leprosy
Visarpa – herpes
Raktapitta – bleeding disorders
Asrugdhara – menorrhagia i.e. excessive bleeding during monthly periods in women
Guda paka – suppuration and inflammation of anus, rectum and lower colon
Medhra paka – suppuration of penis
Asya paka – ulcers in the mouth, stomatitis
Pleeha – enlargement of spleen
Gulma – abdominal tumors
Vidradhi – abscesses
Neelikaa – blue colored raised eruptions on the skin of face, cyanosis, blue moles
Kamala – jaundice
Vyanga – freckles
Piplu – port wine mark
Tilakalaka – black moles
Mashaka – painless, hard, elevated mole
Dadru – tinea, ringworm infestation
Charmadala – peeling of skin
Shwitra – leucoderma, vitiligo
Pama – scabies, itching in groin
Kotha – urticaria
Asru mandala – red colored elevated patches over the skin, red colored wheels
Indralupta – circular patchy balding over the scalp, alopecia
Vatashonita – gout arthritis
Arsha – piles
Arbuda – tumors
Angamarda – body pains as if someone has beaten
Key points
Simultaneous contamination of blood and pitta in blood vitiated disorders – looking carefully, many symptoms mentioned in blood vitiated diseases resemble the symptoms caused due to vitiation of pitta. This happens because blood, according to Ayurveda, belongs to the pitta category of body elements. Blood and pitta are related by ashraya ashrayi relationship i.e. blood is one of the tissues of the body in which pitta resides.
Inflammatory diseases are predominantly seen in Blood vitiated diseases – Blood and Pitta contaminate each other i.e. contamination of blood will increase pitta and vice versa. Due to this, the symptoms and diseases caused by vitiation of blood and pitta predominantly present with inflammation. This is because of increased heat in the body which is the basic nature and quality of both morbid elements involved in causation of pathology of these diseases. Example, eruptions, inflammation of anus, penis and oral cavity, red colored patches, gouty arthritis, piles, body pains etc
Mutual contamination of blood and pitta causes excessive bleeding – as already said pitta and blood mutually contaminate each other. When, due to this their quantity increases, they tend to overflow and cause excessive bleeding from all orifices of the body including anus, oral cavity, nose, eyes, ear, skin pores etc as in Raktapitta and in menorrhagia.
Read related: Upadhatu Of Rakta: Sira, Kandara – Sub Tissues Of Rakta
Contaminated and vitiated blood causes wide array of disorders of skin, hairs, hair follicles and skin appendeges – Bhrajaka Pitta is one of the subtypes of pitta and when blood and pita are vitiated this subtype of pitta is affected as much as other type of pittas are affected. The skin immunity is lost along with loss of blood supply or excessive congestion and inflammation in skin and soft tissues leading to the manifestation of skin diseases like leprosy, leucoderma, herpes, scabies, urticaria, peeling of skin red inflammatory patches, scabies, inflammation etc
Contaminated blood gives rise to many types of pigmentation disorders – many pigmentation disorders like freckles, port wine marks, blue moles, black moles, elevated moles etc are manifested due to contamination of ranjaka and bhrajaka subtypes of pitta whose normalcy keeps the skin healthy and in good complexion.
Liver and Spleen disorders are manifested due to blood contamination – liver and spleen are the chief sites of pitta, mainly the ranjaka subtype of pitta. When this pitta is afflicted the spleen and liver are damaged. This leads to diseases like jaundice and enlargement of spleen.
Vata and Kapha too may be involved in certain blood borne diseases – It is not a rule that only pitta contaminates the blood. Vata contamination of blood may take place in diseases like gouty arthritis, skin diseases, herpes, menorrhagia, abdominal tumors, body pains etc. Similarly kapha contaminated blood may cause many diseases like skin diseases, some pigmentation disorders, abscess, tinea, scabies, urticaria etc.
Read related: Raktamokshana Benefits, Types, Procedure, Indications
Contamination of blood gives scope for frequent infections – when the blood is contaminated by pitta and kapha frequent infections of skin and other organs can occur leading to certain types of infective and stubborn inflammatory skin conditions, scabies, ringworm infestations, abscesses etc.
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